Star Trek
Category:ArticlesCategory:Programs Star Trek was an American science fiction television series that aired for three seasons on NBC from 1966 to 1969, spanning a total of seventy-eight episodes, plus one unaired pilot. Created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek has proven to be one of the most beloved and enduring sci-fi franchises of all time, spawning four live-action spin-off programs, an animated series and (to date) twelve feature films. There have also been numerous novels, comic books, video games, reference guides and other media that have added to the growing mythology of Star Trek over the years. All episodes of the series have been made commercially available on VHS and DVD formats. Beginning in 2006, all episodes of the series were digitally remastered with all new visual effects and music. The refurbished episodes have been converted from the original film to a high-definition format. Characters Seasons Season one of Star Trek aired from September, 1966 to April of 1967, spanning a total of 29 episodes. The original pilot for Star Trek was a black and white episode filmed from November to December of 1964 entitled "The Cage". The episode featured actor Jeffrey Hunter in the role of Captain Christopher Pike and was rejected by NBC studio executives. A second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was recorded and was the first color episode, as well as the first episode to feature William Shatner in the infamous role of Captain James T. Kirk. The only returning cast member from "The Cage" was actor Leonard Nimoy who reprised his role as Spock, albeit with a drastically altered personality dynamic. Majel Barrett, who played Number One in "The Cage" became a recurring cast member playing the role of nurse Christine Chapel beginning with "The Naked Time". Due to the expository nature of this second pilot however, executives felt that "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was too plodding to air as the initial pilot and it ultimately aired as the third episode of season one following "The Man Trap" and "Charlie X". As the first official episode of the series, "The Man Trap" first aired on September 8th, 1966. Highlights * Series premiere; introduction of main characters ("Where No Man Has Gone Before") * Return of Captain Pike ("The Menagerie") * Introduction of the Romulans ("Balance of Terror") * First time travel episode ("Tomorrow is Yesterday") * Introduction of Khan Noonien Singh ("Space Seed") * Introduction of the Klingons ("Errand of Mercy") * Formation of the Organian Peace Treaty ("Errand of Mercy") Season Two of Star Trek aired from September, 1967 to March of 1968 spanning a total of 26 episodes. Although the production quality of season two was equal to that of season one, the series budget was slightly less than that of season one with an estimate of $185,000 US. Despite this, season two provided several set upgrades including refurbished work on the bridge, an expanded engineering section and an auxiliary control set. Highlights * First appearance of the planet Vulcan (Amok Time) * Spock goes through Pon Farr (Amok Time) * Introduction of the Mirror Universe (Mirror, Mirror) * Introduction of Spock's parents (Journey to Babel) * Introduction of Tribbles (The Trouble With Tribbles) Season Three of Star Trek aired from September, 1968 to June of 1969 spanning a total of 24 episodes, the lowest number of episodes per season. It is generally regarded as the weakest season of the series and the budget was lowered by $5,000 per episode from season two, allowing the production crew an estimated $180,000 for each episode. Almost all of the scenes were shot on sound stages and the production quality of the sets was greatly diminished from that of previous seasons. Season three also suffered due to the loss of many of their top developers including series creator Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry feuded with NBC executives when Star Trek was pushed from its promised 8:00 pm time slot to 10:00 pm, which would haved yielded a smaller viewing audience. Following this, Roddenberry left the series to work for MGM, but still maintained his title as executive producer of the show. Several of the programs long-term writers likewise left the series, including script consultant D.C. Fontana. The final episode of the series aired on June 3rd, 1969. Hightlights * Starfleet acquires cloaking technology (The Enterprise Incident) * Series finale (Turnabout Intruder) Episodes Season One Season Two Season Three Notes & Trivia * "Where No X-Man Has Gone Before!" was used as the title to ''The X-Men'', Volume 1 #107 in October, 1977. This is a re-phrasing of the last line from the opening narrative of Star Trek. Parodies * In the "Epidemiology" episode of the TV sit-com Community, Chevy Chase's character, Pierce Hawthorne, dressed up in a costume similar to Captain Kirk's classic gold tunic uniform. Collections * Star Trek: The Original Series: Season One (HD) * Star Trek: The Original Series: Season Two (HD) * Star Trek: The Original Series: Season Three (HD) See also External Links ---- Category:Desilu Productions Category:National Broadcasting Company Category:Paramount Television Category:Programs of the 1960s Category:Douglas S. Cramer Category:Alexander Courage